Review: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's 'Birdman' starring Michael Keaton, Emma Stone, and Edward Norton

Michael Keaton has had a lot of great roles in his stories career, but he'll always be remembered as the guy who starred as Batman, and is considered by many to be the best Batman ever. But after a couple of those movies he ducked out of the franchise game, and kind of floundered around looking for his niche until only recently things started to pick up. The more you know about Keaton and his career, the easier it will be to get sucked into Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's dizzying, meta, and oh-so sublime comedy Birdman or (the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), which features the perfect synthesis of technical acumen with an actor at the height of his powers.

It's a wild change of pace for Inarritu, known for directing emotionally-crippling dramas like 21 Grams, Amores Perros, and Babel, and it shows he can do pretty much anything he puts a mind to. Birdman is a trip right from the beginning; part savage takedown of media criticism, part mid-life crisis comedy, and part superhero origin story. Keaton plays Riggan Thomson, whose career has been defined by the $1B-grossing blockbusters he starred in as Birdman, a superhero literally (and comically) dressed up as a bird. Years later he's still haunted by those films, and in his desperate bid to be a true thespian worthy of respect, he's attempting an ambitious stage play of a Raymond Carver short story. The film even begins with this quote from Carver, which is inscribed on his tombstone...

And did you get what 
you wanted from this life, even so? 
I did. 
And what did you want? 
To call myself beloved, to feel myself 
beloved on the earth.

There's even meaning in the selection of Carver, who is regarded frequently in the film, as a sort of muse for Riggan and his arrogant superstar lead actor, Mike Shiner (Edward Norton). Carver was a playwright known for defying stereotypes and labels, and Birdman is a film that defies easy categorization. In fact, Riggan has a particular disdain for labels, as expressed during an angry tirade with a theater critic (Lindsay Duncan) holding a nasty grudge. It's clear Inarritu, who co-wrote the script, has a bone to pick with critics in general, and he throws some seriously sharp elbows getting his point across. For Riggan, who is in the midst of one heck of an existential crisis, they may be writing those words on his own tombstone if this play isn't a success. As his mental state begins to unravel (or does it?), we see him exhibiting the powers of Birdman, especially when he's deep in hallucinatory conversation with the gravelly-voiced hero. 

And yet Birdman isn't just some self-serving passion project, it carries real weight as Inarritu perceptively explores obsession and celebrity culture without losing any of the film's absurdist flourishes. Helping to keep one foot in reality and the other in bizarre fantasy is DP Emmanuelle Lubezki, whose camerawork dazzled us in Gravity last year. He's actually more impressive here, seamlessly presenting the film as one continuous shot stretched for the duration. While he uses a number of tricks to get there, and finding them may be another reason to see the film again, it's an added touch that is proves to be absolutely crucial to the story. In general, movies about the making of movies or Broadway plays are common, but there is nothing about Birdman that is common. In a way it feels like the surreal comedies of Charlie Kaufman if turned up to eleven.

The brilliance of the film extends to the performances, as well. This is basically a four-man show with Keaton at the center, but all are perfectly cast and bring a bit of real-world baggage to add context to their characters. Keaton brings a manic energy that gives the film much of its life. It's difficult to tell if the fury boiling beneath Riggan matches some of Keaton's own concerns about the industry and his career, which hit a lengthy barren stretch as he got older. The first half of the film is owned by Norton, though, whose performance as the method-acting Mike Shiner hilariously plays up his real life reputation for being hard to work with and volatile. It's good to see Norton loose and free-wheeling again; we haven't seen it nearly enough since Rounders and Fight Club. Doing some of the best work she's ever done is Emma Stone as Riggan's daughter, Sam, recently-released from rehab and now working as her father's assistant. She's one of a handful of outside observers keeping tabs on the chaotic production while struggling with her own issues, many of which burst forth in one incredibly blistering screed about her father's need for acceptance from a world that has forgotten him.  It's powerful stuff, and even if she doesn't get much else to do that scene is more than enough. Others make the most of smaller roles. Naomi Watts and Andrea Riseborough complete the foursome starring in Riggan's play, adding to the aura of crises surrounding the entire project. Zach Galifianakis, in rare straight-man role here, is solid as Riggan's best friend and manager, while Amy Ryan lends the film her usual brand of fire and heart as Riggan's caring ex-wife, perhaps the one person who truly gets him.

Backed by a persistent, percussion-heavy score that adds urgency to a film that never slows down for a heartbeat; Birdman is consistently entertaining, thought-provoking, funny, and genuinely surreal. Birdman is a remarkable achievement on both sides of the camera, and it's going to be tough for any film to compete with it as the best of the year.

 Rating: 4.5 out of 5

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Naomi Watts Joins 'Demolition'; Amy Ryan Boards Steven Spielberg's Cold War Film

A pair of lovely and extremely talented actresses have joined the latest projects by two of today's top filmmakers.  First up, Naomi Watts has joined Jake Gyllenhaal in Demolition, from Dallas Buyers Club director Jean-Marc Vallee. Written by Brian Stipe, the film "follows a young investment banker (Gyllenhaal) struggling to understand his emotional disconnect following the tragic death of his wife in an auto accident. As he tears apart his life in a distraught effort to see where he went wrong, he becomes obsessed with destruction and develops a unique relationship with a pot-smoking single mother (Watts) who rescues him." Watts' character is in a relationship with her boss but begins to fall for Gyllenhaal after she learns of the pain and loss he's endured. [TheWrap]

Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks' untitled Cold War spy film is gathering a solid cast. Joining Hanks and the previously cast Mark Rylance are Amy Ryan (Win Win), Alan Alda, Billy Magnussen (Boardwalk Empire), and Eve Hewson. Penned by the Coen Brothers, the film tells the true story of CIA attorney James Donovan who is sent into Russia to negotiate the release of a captured U-2 spy plane pilot. The film is due to open next year on October 16th.

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Review: 'Devil's Knot' Starring Reese Witherspoon and Colin Firth

The story of the West Memphis Three has garnered a ton of media attention over the last two decades, and for good reason. It's a classic mix of elements that attract news outlets like bees to honey: murder, satanic cults, corruption, miscarriages of justice, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Since the murdered bodies of three young boys were discovered in an Alabama creek twenty years ago, the case has become a "cause celebre" due to the apparent false imprisonment of accused murderers Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley Jr. and Jason Baldwin, seemingly railroaded by a system and town swept up in hysterics. The story was chronicled fully in three incredible Paradise Lost documentaries and the Peter Jackson-produced West of Memphis, leaving little room for Atom Egoyan's narrative feature Devil's Knot to forge its own path.

Given the wealth of material already out there about the West Memphis Three case, Egoyan's decision to take on a dramatic interpretation of events is a mystery. It's a no-win scenario if there ever was one. Get it right and people will say the film basically wrote itself; get it wrong and you get Devil's Knot, which is flimsy, unnecessary, and manages to turn a compelling true story into something dull.

There doesn't seem to be much that co-writers Scott Derrickson (of Sinister fame) and Paul Boardman have done other than take what we already know and get A-listers like Reese Witherspoon and Colin Firth to reenact it. Witherspoon takes on the role of Pam Hobbs, who one normal day in 1993 allows her son Steve to go out and play with his friends, warning him to be back in time for her to get to work. But when the boy doesn't show up, it begins a firestorm of rage and accusations that consume this small, devout Southern town. Not that you really get a sense of all that as the film focuses mainly on Hobbs and Colin Firth as southern investigator Ron Lax, who Damien Echols described as a bit player in the whole ordeal. Actually, Echols has been pretty open in his disdain for the movie and it's pretty easy to see why. In overly sentimental, movie-of-the-week fashion it skips over crucial details in the case; particularly troubling when one thinks how a lack of attention to detail is largely what doomed Echols, Jessie Misskelley, and Jason Baldwin to serve years behind bars for a crime they likely didn't commit.

And so what we get is a thumbnail version of events and the players involved. Firth's Lax is particularly underserved, and the actor struggles to find anything to do with him. If he's truly "obsessed" over the case and making sure the accused go free, then why don't we ever see that passion? Instead we get characters, including the usually-amazing Amy Ryan as his ex-wife, talking at us about it. We get such an idealized, perfectly home-spun version of Hobbs that Witherspoon is left with nothing to do but be sad. There's a lot more to Hobbs' part of this story than this film is willing to portray, and the same goes for her skeevy husband Terry Hobbs (Alessandro Nivola), who in reality DNA evidence fingers as being involved in the murders. But the film tip-toes around that issue and in anything that steers too far away from a narrow and incomplete narrative that only encompass a small piece of a much larger canvas. Dane DeHaan is sorely wasted as a key witness, joined by other top actors who flit in and out without leaving much impact; Mireille Enos, Kevin Durand, Stephen Moyer, and Bruce Greenwood among others. Each of their characters is as thinly drawn as the dubious circumstances surrounding the police investigation, which was driven by religious zealotry, political gamesmanship, and flat-out ignorance.

There just doesn't seem to be much of a reason for this film to exist. It literally says nothing new and what it does say is poorly executed. The film ends with a lousy update that tells us everything that happened with the case over the years, but it only serves to highlight how unfinished Devil's Knottruly is. If someone is looking for a better, far more compelling walkthrough of the unbelievable West Memphis Three story, either hit Wikipedia or rent one of the documentaries instead.

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Michelle Monaghan Joins 'Pixels'; Benicio Del Toro Boards 'Sicario'; Amy Ryan Has 'Goosebumps'

* Michelle Monaghan, last seen twisting Woody Harrelson into emotional knots in True Detective, has joined Adam Sandler in Pixels. Also starring Josh Gad, Peter Dinklage, and Kevin James, the big screen adaptation of the viral short film follows a group of guys who come to the rescue when New York comes under attack by 1980s video game characters. Monaghan takes over the female lead that Jennifer Aniston had been considering. [TheWrap]

* With Emily Blunt coming aboard Denis Villeneuve's Sicario earlier this week, the film gets even more impressive with the addition of Benicio Del Toro. Described as similar to No Country for Old Men, the story takes place on the U.S./Mexico border where a female cop and two mercenaries track down a drug lord. But once they cross into Mexico, they find that things are even more dangerous and violent than expected. Del Toro will play one of those mercs, "an assassin hired by the U.S. government to help bring down the Cartels, which are responsible for the death of his family." [TheWrap]

* Amy Ryan and Jillian Bell (Workaholics) have joined Jack Black, Dylan Minnette, and Odeya Rush in Goosebumps, based on the R.L. Stine books. Directed by Rob Letterman, the story follows "a teen named Zach Cooper, whose family moves to a new home where his new neighbor is a mysterious author. When a demonic ventriloquist's dummy unleashes the author's creepy creations, it's up to his niece Hannah and Zach to battle the evil forces and save their town." Ryan will play Zach's disbelieving mother, while Bell is his ditzy aunt. [TheWrap]

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Review: 'Breathe In' Starring Guy Pearce and Felicity Jones

*NOTE: This is an edited reprint of my review from the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.*

Three years ago, Drake Doremus made a splash at Sundance with is beautifully crafted romance, Like Crazy. The film won major awards at the festival, but when on to be one of those many Park City darlings that died an ugly death in general release. Where it failed monetarily, it succeeded in introducing American audiences to Brit import Felicity Jones, and the alluring actress returns for Doremus' follow-up, Breathe In.

A sort of spiritual cousin to Like Crazy, the story follows yet another romantic entanglement with disastrous consequences. Doremus opts for a slow boil compared to his previous film's passionate whirlwind, while maintaining a sense of intimacy and urgency magnified by Jones and Guy Pearce's soulful performances.

Upon first glance, Keith (Pearce) and Megan (Amy Ryan) are the picture of a happy family, along with their teen daughter, Lauren (excellent newcomer Mackenzie Davis). Upon closer inspection, there's at least one major crack in the foundation. An ex-rocker who gave up a life of excitement for tuna melts and Jenga nights with the family, Keith quietly yearns for something more. A talented cellist who finds some measure of escape filling in for an acclaimed New York philharmonic, he's otherwise discontent with his job teaching music at his daughter's school.

As Keith and Megan seemingly are headed in opposing directions, the family unit is disrupted by the arrival of Sophie (Jones), a U.K. transfer student staying with them for the rest of the semester. She's quiet, fragile, and confident, at first making an ill fit into their home. Slowly but surely, she begins to form reluctant attachments, first with Lauren, and more cautiously with Keith. A refined pianist in her own right, Sophie and Keith share a musical interest he can't find in the other women in his life. During one of their first encounters, she challenges him with an angry piano solo that stirs up a fervor he thought long gone. Slowly but surely, they draw nearer to one another. The furtive glances hang a little bit longer; the innocuous conversations a bit more meaningful. Meanwhile, Megan and Lauren begin to suspect something is amiss.

Co-written by Doremus and Ben York Jones, they construct a number of fully realized characters from top to bottom. Pearce, long one of the most reliable actors around, gives a touching portrayal of a man in a no-win situation. Recognizing the love he still holds for his family, he's nonetheless overcome by the desire to live the life he felt was denied him. Jones easily could have fallen into the trap of playing the cliché home-wrecker, but she never gives a false moment throughout. She plays Sophie is a strong but flawed young woman in an unfamiliar place, looking desperately to forge a lasting connection that sets her free to live her own life. Doremus' ability to coax fantastic performances is nearly enough to forgive the film's most glaring flaws.

While the beautiful, melancholy score does a great job of setting the mood, there's an undeniable sense of "been there, done that". For all the energy Doremus puts into building these fully fleshed out characters, it's still a story we've seen a thousand times before with nothing novel brought to the table. Pearce and Jones have a palpable chemistry, but far too often the film lacks passion, so Doremus overcompensates with a final act that leans too hard on contrivance and histrionics.

So much about Breathe In works that it only makes the less competent areas more noticeable. Pearce and Jones are worthy of every bit of acclaim they will surely receive, but Doremus has yet to put together the total package.

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'Monster Trucks' Picks Up Amy Ryan; Mads Mikkelsen Joins 'Men and Chicken'

* Already with young stars Jane Levy and Lucas Till gearing up for Monster Trucks, based on the Hasbro toys, a veteran presence has been added in the form of Amy Ryan. The Wire and Win Win actress (who will also be seen this week in Breathe In) has joined the live-action/CGI hybrid as a single mom trying to make ends meet while watching over her teenaged son. Assuming the son if Till, she may have some problems as he's been described as "a bad boy with a good heart". Chris Wedge is directing Monster Trucks for release on May 29th 2015. [Deadline]

* The always-great Mads Mikkelsen will star in the black comedy, Men and Chicken, from Danish director Anders Thomas Jensen. The two have worked together frequently, both in films Jensen has directed and others he penned for Susanne Bier (After the Wedding) to direct. As for Men and Chicken, it follows "two outcast brothers who reunite with their relatives, only to be faced with a cruel truth about themselves and their family." [Cineuropa]

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Review: 'Escape Plan' Starring Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger

If this were twenty years ago, Escape Plan would be pretty awesome. Oh wait, no it wouldn't, because then audiences would be expecting the explosive big guns and bigger pecs action a film starring Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger should provide. Even at an advanced stage of their careers (and physical shape), they can still open a cinematic can of whoop ass in The Expendables, and individually they've done a pretty good job of reliving their youthful glory days. But Escape Plan, which sees them sharing top billing for the first time ever, is a creaky and nonsensical prison drama that emphasizes their brains over brawn. Who in the world wants to watch that?

Stallone is really the lead guy here as Ray Breslin, a security expert and modern day Houdini whose job is to go undercover in maximum security prisons, then break out to expose their flaws. Yeah, it's all sorts of stupid, and the suggestion that he's some sort of genius is less than convincing.  His mental acumen is thrown further into question when he's approached by a shady CIA liaison who offers $5M for him to break into an off-the-books facility full of the world's worst criminals. Breslin's team, which consists of the lovely Amy Ryan and 50 Cent (as a menacing tech geek!) are skeptical, as anybody with half a brain should be. Vincent D'Oonfrio plays Breslin's twitchy boss, who sees a quick pay day and pushes him to take it. Although it's clearly a dangerous set up, Breslin's ego leads to him taking the job, and it isn't long before he's kidnapped and shipped off to a prison he doesn't recognize. Oops. Probably should have put that intellect to better use, Hoss.

Waking up in a glass cell like something out of Silence of the Lambs, Breslin soon comes to realize that he's actually a prisoner with no easy way out. For a facility that's supposed to be state of the art, boasting more than $1B of impenetrable security, it barely reaches above the level of HBO's Oz. But what's perhaps most hilarious is a suggestion that the facility, a blatant human rights violation if there ever was one, was designed as a back-up because the CIA had ended extraordinary rendition. Oh yeah? That email must be in my spam folder.  This isn't a smart enough movie to really go down that road, nor its thin allusions to our country's reliance on for-profit prisons. There are documentaries for that stuff, guys. Somebody throw a grenade or something.

In his first legit acting role since he pretended to govern California, Schwarzenegger is the only one who seems to notice what a piece of schlock this movie actually is. He plays Emil Rottmeyer, a convict Yoda who agrees to help Breslin mount a prison break. In the process he becomes the target of a dainty/maniacal prison warden played by Jim Caviezel. We know he's crazy because he collects butterflies and carries a handkerchief, sure signs of mental instability.

Directed by Mikael Hafstron, the film has all the energy of a bloated cadaver, and stinks just as bad. There was a time when Hafstrom was a director on the rise, helming the effective hotel thriller 1408, but lately his films have been a total snore. His bland direction hamstrings what should be entertaining exchanges between Stallone and Schwarzenegger, but instead most of their early encounters prove underwhelming. Even during the one time they come to blows, Hafstrom shoots it in such a haphazard way that it's a little too obvious neither man is really there and are probably down the street having lunch. Not even Hafstrom is able to completely nullify the action heroes' easy chemistry, though, and once we start getting them in the same frame later on the film begins to improve somewhat.

Stallone isn't what one would call the most emotive of actors, but he's practically comatose as Breslin, and Hafstrom's constant close-ups on his waxy face doesn't help. Schwarzenegger is better, and it's good to see him not only acting his age, but putting his considerable size (he's still massive) to good use in presenting an air of authority. It would have been interesting to see how the results would have been if the roles were reversed, as they were in the film's earliest stages of development.  Other than Schwarzenegger, the only one having any fun is Caviezel, who years after The Passion of the Christ, gets more religious puns than any actor should be allowed. Either the role was written for him or Bill Maher turned it down.

Logic is repeatedly thrown out the window as the two inmates plot their escape, which doesn't seem any more difficult than what Breslin experienced before. For some reason the warden doesn't seem to wonder why the two biggest troublemakers keep whispering and plotting stuff. Isn't it kinda obvious? And yet the story is needlessly complicated, overstuffed with filler material to pad out a lagging two-hour runtime. Ryan and 50 Cent's characters are pointless, and a subplot involving a mysterious criminal with a bounty on his head seems tacked on. Worse is the unfortunate Sam Neill as a prison doctor suffering from an ethical dilemma, and literally has to look up the Hippocratic Oath as a reminder. By the time Hafstrom remembers who his stars are and begins cranking up the action it's far too late. Any chance we get to see Stallone and Schwarzenegger should be nothing less than memorable, even in a terrible movie, but Escape Plan is an utterly forgettable entry on both actors' resumes.

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Guy Pearce Cheats With Felicity Jones In First Trailer For 'Breathe In'

In his debut feature, Like Crazy, Drake Doremus explored the heartbreaking pangs of young love, stressed by the loneliness of separation and the constant threat of temptation. The theme of infidelity and the fragility of relationships is one he's obviously quite comfortable with, and he's taking them on again with his latest emotional drama, Breathe In.

Reuniting with Like Crazy star Felicity Jones and starring Guy Pearce, the film follows a former rock star (Pearce) now a music teacher with a wife (Amy Ryan) and daughter (rising star Mackenzie Davis), and it's the sort of boring life he never envisioned for himself. But he finds a new lust for life and a passion for music again with the arrival of a foreign exchange student (Jones), who pushes him on an intellectual and sexual level. The bonds of trust are broken, boundaries get crossed, and there are disastrous consequences for pretty much everybody involved.

Doremus opts for the slow burn here, but in my earlier review I couldn't escape the sense of "been there, done that", and felt the film lacked genuine passion. Maybe I'll feel differently next time. Breathe In opens in the U.K. next month, and should arrive here later this year.

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Sure Shots: Robert Duvall; Amy Ryan; Sheldon Turner

* Warner Bros. really wanted Jack Nicholson to join Robert Downey Jr. in The Judge, but they'll just have to settle for Robert Duvall. Aw shucks, guys! Seriously, Duvall is an excellent choice to star in the film, which will be directed by Wedding Crashers' David Dobkin. Downey Jr. stars as a high-powered attorney who returns home after the death of his mother, only to learn that his father (Duvall), a former judge now stricken with Alzheimer's, is a suspect. This'll be RDJ's next film now that Iron Man 3 is over and done with, and he may be joined by Vera Farmiga or Elizabeth Banks who are circling the ex-girlfriend role. [Variety]

* That's right, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's ensemble comedy, Birdman, has found a way to get even better. Already with Michael Keaton, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts, Edward Norton, Zach Galifianakis, and Andrea Riseborough, the latest to join up is the ever-reliable Amy Ryan (Win Win). She'll play the ex-wife to Keaton's character, a former actor who once played an iconic superhero and now seeks to reclaim old glory by putting on a Broadway show. I'm curious to see if Inarritu can find room for anybody else before production begins next month. [Deadline]

* Oscar-nominated screenwriter Sheldon Turner (Up in the Air) is set to write and possibly make his directorial debut on Borderland, a gritty action thriller picked up by Relativity Media. Described as a modern day Western in the vein of The Magnificent Seven, the story is set in a resort town overrun by cartel violence. A band of current and former Special Forces officers are hired by the newly-installed mayor to fight back, turning the town into a battleground. The goal is to present an authentic depiction of post-war life for elite soldiers, which apparently means going out guns blazin' on the city streets?? [Deadline]

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Trailer Time: Win Win, starring Paul Giamatti

If you saw the trailer for Ironclad yesterday you might've caught yourself wondering why in the heck Paul Giamatti is in a medieval war flick. It's such a departure from character pieces we're used to seeing him excel at.  A movie like Win Win is probably more what we're used to.  The third film from writer/director Tom McCarthy, Win Win features Giamatti as a failing attorney and high school wrestling coach struggling to support his family. When the grandson of an elderly client enters his life and joins the wrestling team, it turns his life upside down. 

McCarthy's struck gold twice now, and judging by the look of this trailer I'm betting he goes 3/3. McCarthy's first film, The Station Agent, introduced us to the wonderful character actor, Peter Dinklage. 2008's The Visitor was highlighted by the poignant, charismatic performance of longtime supporting actor Richard Jenkins. McCarthy is an actor himself(he's hilarious in Duplicity) and knows how to pull the best out of his casts.  Working with Giamatti, already such an incredible performer, I'm expecting something special.

Win Win stars Giamatti, Amy Ryan, Melanie Lynskey, Bobby Canavale, and Alex Shaffer. It recently premiered at Sundance to generally positive reviews. Keep an eye out for it when it pops up in theaters on March 25th!

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